One might marvel endlessly at the fact that there were people able to get used to the forest, and yet such people were the overwhelming majority. At first they were attracted by the forest as a romantic or lucrative location, or a place where control was not over-strict, or a place of refuge. Then they got a bit afraid of it, and then they made the discovery that "it's just the same mess here as everywhere else," and that reconciled them to the strangeness of the forest, but nobody intended to live out his old age here. Quentin now, as rumor had it, only lived here because he feared to leave Rita unguarded, and Rita refused to go away from the forest at any price, though she never told anybody why... There, I've got around to Rita... Rita can go off into the forest and not come back for weeks. Rita bathes in forest lakes. Rita breaks all the rules and nobody dares to criticize. Rita writes no articles. Rita doesn't write anything, even letters. It's common knowledge that Quentin cries of a night and goes off to sleep with the canteen assistant if she's not busy with somebody else ... it's all over the biostation... Good god, they light up the club, plug in the record-player, drink yogurt; they drink a vast amount of yogurt and in the moonlight they hurl the bottles into the lake and see who gets the farthest. They dance, play forfeits and spin the bottle, cards and billiards, they swap women, and by day in their laboratories they pour the forest from one test tube to another, study the forest under a microscope, reckon it up on adding machines, while the forest stands all around them, looms above them, grows up through their bedrooms and in the stifling hours before the thunderstorm, wandering trees come crowding up to their windows, and they also, no doubt wonder what these people are, why they're here and why they exist at all...
A good thing I'm getting out of here, he thought. I've been here, understood nothing, found nothing I wanted to find, but I know now that I never will understand anything, that there is a time for everything. There's nothing in common between the forest and me, the forest is no nearer to me than the Directorate is. Anyway, at least I'm not staying here to be covered in shame. I'm going away, I shall work and wait. I shall hope for the time to come when...
The biostation yard was empty. There was no sign of the truck, and there was no line at the pay-out window. All there was was Pepper's suitcase standing on the porch that barred his way, his gray raincoat hung on the verandah rail. Pepper got out of the landrover and looked around in perplexity. Acey, arm in arm with Quentin was already heading for the canteen, which gave out a clink of cutlery and a smell of burning. Stoyan said: "Let's go and have supper, Peppy," and drove the vehicle into the garage. Pepper, to his horror, suddenly realized what all this meant: a howling record-player, senseless chatter, yogurt, another little glass, eh? And the same every evening, on and on for evening after...
The pay-window rattled and an angry cashier stuck his head out: "Where've you been, Pepper? How long haye I got to wait? Get over here and sign up."
Pepper approached the window on stiffened legs. "Right here - I'll put the total in," the cashier said. "No, no, not there, here. Why're your hands shaking? Here you are."
He began counting out notes.
"But where are the rest? asked Pepper.
"Don't rush... The rest are in the envelope here."
"No, I mean..."
"What you mean doesn't affect anybody. I - canf change the procedure just for you. There's your salary, have you got it?"
"I wanted to find out..."
"I'm asking you, have you received your salary? Yes or no?"
"Yes."
"Thank the Lord. Now your bonus. Have you received that?"
"Yes."
"That's it then. Allow me to shake your hand. I'm in a hurry. I have to be at the Directorate by seven."
"I only wanted to ask," said Pepper hurriedly, "where all the rest of the people ... Kim, the truck ... they did promise to take me ... to the Mainland."
"Can't do it to the Mainland, I have to be at the Directorate. Excuse me, I'm shutting the window now.
"I won't take up much room," said Pepper.
"That's not the point. You're not a child, you must realize, I'm a cashier. I have payrolls - what if anything happens to them? Take your elbow away."
